Winning LEED Platinum Home Designs to be Built in New Orleans

Recently, the Natural Talent Design Competition announced four winning sustainable and affordable homes for the Broadmoor neighborhood in New Orleans. Each winning entry is part of a series of homes all designed to LEED Platinum standards. Not only are these homes eco-friendly, but they have been planned to be low-cost, handicap accessible, and most importantly for this Louisiana area, hurricane resistant. Read on to find out more about these award-winning designs, which will soon be built in the Broadmoor neighborhood of New Orleans.

A panel of ten jurors selected the four winning designs out of 49 entries from around the country. Two of the entries were from emerging professionals and the other two were student led design projects. The affordable, single-family houses are between 720 and 880 sq ft and are designed to meet LEED Platinum standards as well as be ADA-compliant (American Disabilities Act). Each house also has a distinct style that pays respect to the Broadmoor neighborhood aesthetic, and to ensure neighborhood accord, they were even voted on by members of the community earlier this summer.

The Broadmoor neighborhood suffered severe damage during Hurricane Katrine, finding itself 6-10 feet underwater, and still, 20% of the properties in the area have yet to undergo any renovation. The Salvation Army’s EnviRenew program has pledged to help the neighborhood with its recovery efforts as well as others. The competition was put together by the USGBC in collaboration with Salvation Army’s EnviRenew with the aim of helping the recovery and rebuilding effort in New Orleans. All four winning designs will be eventually be constructed in the Broadmoor neighborhood by EnviRenew.